Thoughtfulness seemed to be second-nature to Nick—unlike his pal Mark, who rarely made an effort for anyone else unless it served him, too. While she appreciated the gesture, she still said, “Thanks, but that isn’t necessary.”
At the same moment, Gabi exclaimed, “Pizza? Yesss!”
“What’s this about pizza?” Ivy tottered in from the hall. When she saw they had visitors, she announced, “Oh, look, who’s here. The Armstrong boys, two of my favorite people.”
“Hello, Mrs. Winslow,” they chorused, sounding even more identical than they looked.
“I was telling Zoey that after Aidan and I unload your mulch, we’d like to pick up a couple of pizzas and bring them back for all of us to eat here. Is that all right with you?” Nick asked.
“That would be wonderful. The girls and I will make a salad, too.”
Nick’s grin was outshone by his son’s.Why do I feel like the two of them just received permission to take my niece and me on a double date?Zoey asked herself.
But an hour later when they were all seated around the table and she tasted the pizza, she was glad her aunt had said yes; it was so delicious she devoured as many slices as the teenagers did.
“Now, who’s ready for a game of cribbage?” Ivy asked after they had eaten. “We can play with partners.”
“No, we can’t. We’ve got an odd number of people. I’ll sit the game out,” Zoey quickly volunteered.
About five years ago, Ivy confided the reason she had always challenged Zoey, Jessica and their boyfriends to play cribbage against her and Sylvia when they were younger: she was secretly assessing the boys’ characters and compatibility with her nieces. She claimed a card game was a much better indicator of whether the couple had a future together than whatever the boyfriends said and did when “they were working hard to make a good impression on your two old aunties.”
“So if they cheated or they were poor sports, that disqualified them?” Zoey had asked.
“For starters, yes. But I wasn’t just watching them—I was watching you two girls, as well. I’d look for patience. Teamwork. Willingness to forgive each other’s mistakes. I was also looking for a spark of enthusiasm. You need that in a partnership, you know.”
At the time, Zoey had found her aunt’s practice comical, but tonight it seemed uncomfortably close to matchmaking. She wasn’t sure whether Ivy intended to evaluate her and Nick or Aidan and Gabi’s compatibility, but she wanted no part of it.
“I don’t know how to play,” Aidan said. “So I should be the one to sit the game out.”
Gabi immediately told him it wasn’t that hard and Ivy said, “You and I can share a hand, Aidan. The oldster will be on the same team as the youngsters. You and Zoey will be the middle-ster team, Nick. We always bet a penny per point so I hope you brought your wallet.”
As happy as Zoey was to hear her aunt in such good spirits, she was still reluctant. “Aidan will get the gist of it after a couple practice rounds. Then you and Gabi can be a team, Aunt Ivy—women against men. I’ve got other things to do.”
Ivy looked her squarely in the eye and Zoey understood her undertone when she said, “It’s only a game. It’s not a lifelong commitment.”
“Zo-ey. Zo-ey. Zo-ey.” Nick drummed the table with each syllable, and Aidan and Gabi joined his chant.
“Stop ganging up on me,” Zoey whined, covering her ears. Which only made them chant louder, until she finally conceded, “All right, all right. I’ll play. But only if you make it worth my while… adimeper point.”
“Now you’re talking.” Ivy beamed. “This is going to be fun. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”
Chapter Six
If only we hadn’t played so many games of cribbage, Aidan might have had time to put the screens in my windows and I wouldn’t be so hot I can’t sleep.But even as she kicked the sheet off her legs, Zoey knew the heat wasn’t the real reason for her insomnia; it was because her mind was whirling with uncertainty and mixed emotions. So she lay awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to get some perspective on everything that had happened that day.
She smiled when she thought about how she and Nick had won at cribbage three times in a row. Then they switched teams and played men against women—or “boys against girls” as Ivy called them. The foursome was so competitive that every time one couple won a game, someone from the other pair insisted on a rematch or a new partner. It was by far the most raucous evening Zoey had ever spent playing cards at her aunt’s house and she completely forgot Ivy was likely sizing everyone up for their romantic rapport. But even if she had remembered, she wouldn’t have cared because she was having such a good time.
Just after nine o’clock, her aunt had announced she needed to call it a night. “Now that the range isn’t off-limits, I’m going to make a cup of tea and drink it in the living room before I amble upstairs to bed.” She undoubtedly was planning to gaze at the portrait of Denny, too, as was her evening ritual.
“I’ll go up with you in a few minutes,” Zoey offered, knowing that her aunt often needed her arm for support and balance.
“No, no. Don’t interrupt your game on my account. You kids are getting on like peas and carrots.” She shot Zoey a self-satisfied look.
“Yeah, we are, but it’s a school night. We should go,” Nick said.
He suggested before they left that Aidan should bring the screens down from the attic and store them in the garage so they’d be handy the next time he came over. Gabi volunteered to help so Nick stayed in the kitchen with Zoey.
After counting the change she’d won, she announced, “Two dollars and thirty cents. Not too shabby. A couple more hands and I would’ve have been able to afford to buy an ice cream cone at Bleecker’s tomorrow.”
